In|Vest 2018 Direct

Gordon Bava is a senior partner in the Los Angeles office of Manatt, Phelps & Phillips, LLP. His practice focuses on mergers and acquisitions, special committee representation, private and underwritten securities offerings and general corporate representation of clients in a variety of industries. Manatt, Phelps & Phillips is a multidisciplinary, integrated national professional services firm.

Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis President Alberto G. Musalem would not directly say whether central bank independence is under threat, instead highlighting that the topic has received more attention.

Stablecore, a recently founded fintech, completed its first funding round with the goal of bringing stablecoin technology to banks and credit unions.

Justin Pulgrano, CPA, is the senior vice president of strategic growth at Crunchafi, with a 15+-year career spanning Big Four audit, transaction advisory and technology leadership. Pulgrano helps CPA firms harness technology to simplify complex workflows and free up more time for insight and client impact.

A credit union CEO takes issue with the narrative that the purchase of community banks by credit unions is a dangerous trend. In fact, he argues, it's rare, and when it happens, it benefits the communities those banks serve.

Prior to this week's Federal Open Market Committee meeting, many onlookers thought a Trump-aligned and oppositional voting bloc could emerge, complicating the central bank's message. But the quarterly economic projections show that not to be the case.

Matt Scully is a reporter based in New York. He covers large banks and reports on complex financial topics, often related to the post-crisis recovery of consumer and mortgage credit. He tweets news often @scullymb.

Signs of elevated stress are emerging within the $1.7 trillion private credit market as default rates are rising and more borrowers are choosing to defer cash interest payments, according to a Bank of America Corp. report.

Sathiya Livingston is an insurance operations & digital transformation specialist with over 12 years of experience helping U.S. carriers optimize claims, underwriting, and policy servicing. He works with mid-market insurers to design process improvements that blend automation, analytics, and strategic partnerships for sustainable growth. Contact him at sathiya.l@flatworldsolutions.com.